Department of Health and Social Care

Shingles: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to make people aged between 65 and 70 eligible for the shingles vaccination.

Maria Caulfield: There are no plans to review the age criteria for the expansion of the shingles programme. The current policy to offer shingles vaccine to anyone who turned 65 or 70 years old on or after 1 September 2023 as well as to anyone aged 50 years old and over who is at higher risk of serious complications has significantly expanded this already successful programme.The phased roll-out to move the eligible age for receiving shingles vaccine down to 60 years old from 70 for the routine shingles programme for immunocompetent individuals is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). When any vaccination programme is introduced, difficult decisions need to be made on who will be eligible first and in what order they should be offered the vaccine. A copy of the relevant JCVI minutes is attached.People aged between 66 and 69 years old on 1 September 2023 who do not have a severely weakened immune system will become eligible for shingles vaccination when they turn 70 years old as they would have done prior to 1 September 2023. This phased approach to the expansion has been used in the effective implementation of previous immunisation programmes and whilst it may mean that some individuals may have to wait until they are eligible, many others will receive the vaccine sooner and will benefit for longer.JCVI minutes (pdf, 855.8KB)

Ambulance Services: Pay

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department takes to ensure that (a) North West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and (b) other ambulance trusts provide appropriate pay for Emergency Care Assistants.

Andrew Stephenson: Emergency care assistants working directly for the National Health Service are members of the Agenda for Change workforce. For 2024/25, the Government is looking to the independent NHS Pay Review Board (PRB) for a pay recommendation for the Agenda for Change workforce, including emergency care assistants, and will carefully consider their recommendations when we receive them.The PRB process is the established process for determining pay uplifts for all public sector workers including NHS staff and has operated for over four decades.

Ambulance Services: South West

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with trade unions on the (a) pay and (b) conditions of Emergency Care Assistants at the South Western Ambulance Service.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with trade unions on the (a) pay and (b) conditions of Emergency Care Assistants at NHS ambulance trusts.

Andrew Stephenson: The Secretary of State has not held any direct discussions with trade unions specifically on emergency care assistants’ (ECAs) pay or conditions but did meet the NHS Staff Council in December 2023. We negotiated a fair and reasonable deal with the NHS Staff Council that was accepted by a majority vote of unions. The NHS Staff Council has responsibility for negotiating the pay of staff on Agenda for Change contracts, which includes ECAs. Eligible ECAs will have received a 5% pay rise as a result of the deal as well as two non-consolidated payments. ECAs will also benefit from the non-pay elements of this deal, including further work supporting the career development and wellbeing of National Health Service staff.

NHS: Pay

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any NHS suffered a financial shortfall from the Earnd scheme following the failure of Greensill Capital.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NAO report Investigation into supply chain finance in the NHS, HC 734, published on 29 October 2021, what the costs have been to NHS Trusts which used the Earnd of switching to alternative salary advancement initiatives.

Andrew Stephenson: As detailed in the National Audit Office (NAO) report, of the seven National Health Service trusts reported on by the NAO as having used the EARND scheme, two were reported as having lost money totalling £21,429. NHS England was not aware of any other NHS trusts losing money through the EARND scheme.The identities of the seven NHS trusts were anonymised in the NAO report and therefore it is not possible to provide information on the costs to these trusts of using alternative salary advance schemes since the date of the report.

NHS: Software

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of GP practices that enable patients to (a) see their medical records, (b) book appointments and (c) order repeat prescriptions through the NHS app.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS App functionality is available for: prospective record access across 5,163 practices, representing 82% of all practices, up from 0.2% in December 2022 with 15 early adopter sites; appointment booking in 5,892 practices, representing 93% of all practices; and repeat prescription ordering across 6,206 practices, representing 98% of all practices.Practices can choose how to use this functionality to offer services to their patients. A roadmap for future development across the NHS App is published quarterly on the NHS England website.

Medical Records: Northern Ireland

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason NHS numbers issued in Northern Ireland are not transferable to England.

Andrew Stephenson: There has never been a single National Health Service number system across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Prior to the introduction of the current 10-digit format NHS number in 1995/96, there were 22 different NHS number formats in existence; one of these was the Northern Ireland NHS number format. The rationalisation that took place introduced the common format we have now. Whilst a common format NHS number is in use there has never been a decision for a single database operating across both authorities.

NHS: Drugs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress she has made on establishing a Falsified Medicines scheme.

Andrew Stephenson: The Medicines & Medical Devices Act 2021 included provisions that enable the introduction and use of a falsified medicines system in the United Kingdom. The Department is considering the right approach for the future, and regulations would be needed to set out the detail of any scheme, which would require consultation.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has robust measures in place for the management of falsified medicines detected by the UK supply chain.

Palantir: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which sites have piloted Palantir software.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England’s pilot programmes of Palantir’s Foundry software include the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients Programme (IECCPP) and the Optimised Patient Tracking and Intelligent Choices Application (OPTICA) pilot.The pilots have demonstrated the potential benefits of a Federated Data Platform, which will be a vital upgrade for the National Health Service, allowing it to make better use of its data to improve outcomes for patients, including reducing waits and discharging people quicker.The following table shows the 42 trusts who are actively participating in one or both pilot programmes:TrustIECCPOPTICABarts Health NHS TrustX Bolton NHS Foundation TrustX Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustXXChesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation TrustXXCountess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation TrustXXCounty Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust XCroydon Health Services NHS TrustX East Suffolk and North East Essex NHS Foundation TrustX East Essex Healthcare NHS TrustX Gateshead Health NHS Foundation TrustXXGreat Western Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustX Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustX Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust XHull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust XImperial College Healthcare NHS TrustXXJames Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust XKingston Hospital NHS Foundation TrustX Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation TrustX Lewisham and Greenwich NHS TrustX Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust XLondon North West University Healthcare NHS TrustXXMedway NHS Foundation TrustX Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustXXNorfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust XNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustX North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustXXNorthampton General Hospital NHS TrustX Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustX Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Foundation Trust XRoyal Cornwall Hospitals NHS TrustX Royal Surrey NHS Foundation TrustX Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustX Salisbury NHS Foundation TrustX Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS TrustX South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustXXSouth Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation TrustXXThe Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustXXUnited Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS TrustX University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation TrustXXUniversity Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation TrustX University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS TrustX West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustX

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of referrals to NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services waited less than (a) two, (b) four, (c) six and (d) 19 weeks to begin treatment by NHS provider in each quarter between 2021 and 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the number of (a) clinical and (b) non-clinical staff employed in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services by NHS provider in each quarter between 2015 and 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the number of full time equivalent (a) trainee and (b) qualified psychological wellbeing practitioners employed by NHS provider in each quarter between 2015 and 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the number of full time equivalent (a) trainee and (b) qualified cognitive behavioural therapists employed by NHS provider in each quarter between 2015 and 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Liver Diseases: Screening

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce geographic variations in the provision of non-invasive liver scans in community diagnostic centres.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Liver Cancer

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning a clinical audit of changes in rates of liver cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government has no current plans to commission a clinical audit of changes in rates of liver cancer. NHS England is implementing wider Long Term Plan actions for both liver cancer and liver disease detection and management including monitoring outcomes for liver cancer in England through published sources including cancer incidence, mortality and survival data which is collected through our disease registration service.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Diagnosis

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time is for a patient with suspected (a) Crohn’s disease and (b) ulcerative colitis to receive a diagnosis.

Andrew Stephenson: The data is not routinely held in the format requested. Data is centrally collected for time from referral to a diagnostic test, but not referral to diagnosis. It is also collected by test type and not the purpose of the test.

Health Services: Disability

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4738 on Health Services: Disability, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the updated Accessible Information Standard is published as soon as possible.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England is responsible for the review of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) and its publication and remains committed to publishing the updated AIS as soon as possible. NHS England is working to both progress the documentation through the publication approval process as well as ensuring that, when published, the AIS and supporting documentation are available in accessible formats.The Department is working closely with NHS England to ensure joint implementation of the updated AIS and receives periodic updates on progress. Following extensive engagement, with a specific focus on those with lived experience and the voluntary sector organisations that support them, NHS England has completed the review of the AIS and its associated documents. The review considered the effectiveness of the current AIS, how the standard is implemented and enforced in practice, and identified recommendations for improvement.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Parliamentary Health and Service Ombudsman.

Maria Caulfield: Ministers do not review any aspect of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) performance. The PHSO reports to Parliament directly as an Officer of the House of Commons and is held to account through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, who, although it cannot adjudicate on individual cases, does hold an annual scrutiny session to evaluate the PHSO's performance.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to support NHS staff who act as whistle-blowers on patient safety concerns.

Maria Caulfield: We have established an independent National Guardian to help drive positive cultural change across the National Health Service so that speaking up becomes business as usual. The National Guardian has issued guidance and training and provides support and leadership to a network of over 1,000 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians throughout healthcare in England whose role is to help and support staff who want to speak up about their concerns.Workers who want to speak up about something can also receive support from Speak Up Direct, a service the Government has set up to provide workers with advice and support about speaking up.In 2018, the Government enhanced legal protections available for whistle blowers to prohibit discrimination against job applicants on the grounds that they have spoken up in the past. This complements longstanding legal provisions that protect workers against detrimental treatment for speaking up.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings were held  between officials in her Department and representatives from NHS England on geographic variations in fertility treatment in the last year.

Maria Caulfield: There are regular meetings held between officials from NHS England and the Department as part of the Women’s Health Strategy commitment to address the current geographical variation in access to National Health Service-funded fertility services across England.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of improvements to the consistency of the implementation of fertility treatment guidelines in the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: As part of the first-year commitments in the Women’s Health Strategy, the Government published our in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) transparency tool on GOV.UK in July 2023. This tool compiles published integrated care board (ICB) policies on their local fertility treatment offer to keep track nationally of implementation progress.As part of keeping the tool up to date, we will review ICBs’ local policy statements in 2024, to check on progress with the implementation of National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence fertility guidelines.

IVF

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the application of non-clinical criteria in determining the suitability of candidates for IVF treatment.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy was published on 20 July 2022 and contained several important changes and future ambitions to improve the variations in access to National Health Service-funded fertility services. We will be working with NHS England this year to assess fertility provision across integrated care boards, which have responsibility for commissioning fertility services, with a view to removing non-clinical access criteria.

Endometriosis: Medical Treatments

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of treatment for women with endometriosis.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. Menstrual health and gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs, so that women can get better access to care for menstrual problems, including women with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is updating its recommendations on diagnosing endometriosis and surgical management of endometriosis if fertility is a priority. NICE will provide information on the expected publication date of its final guidance in due course.Additionally, NHS England is updating the service specification for severe endometriosis, which defines the expected standards of care. This update will ensure that specialist endometriosis services have access to the most up-to-date evidence and advice and will improve standards of care for women with severe endometriosis.

Mental Health Services: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to mental health support for patients with (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is committed to supporting everyone’s mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring that the right support is in place, including for those with long term physical health conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.We have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS talking therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS long term plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people, including those with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, can access National Health Service-funded mental health support.

Nurses

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made assessment of the impact of the increase in return to practice payments for nursing in general practice on the number of registered nurses working in general practice since the introduction of those payments.

Andrea Leadsom: The Return to Practice (RTP) programme is available for all nurses and midwives who have allowed their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to lapse. Since its inception in 2014, the RTP programme has been successful in supporting 9,975 nurse returners through the Higher Education Institution route.As of November 2023, there were 1,814 more full-time equivalent general practice nurses than in September 2015, the earliest date for which comparable data can be provided.We have reached our target of 50,000 additional nurses across the National Health Service, meaning we have delivered on our commitment six months early. There are over 357,000 nurses working across the NHS, which is over 56,000 more than September 2019.

Pharmacy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help ensure community pharmacists receive comprehensive clinical supervision to ensure patient safety.

Andrea Leadsom: Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals with five years of training and are clinicians in their own right. The role of the pharmacist has become increasingly clinical as experts in medicines and with involvement in direct patient care, updated initial education and training and postgraduate training opportunities to reflect this. Pharmacists in hospitals and general practice (GP) have a clinical role that includes, for example, prescribing and the clinical oversight is embedded in those organisations. An increasing number of clinical services are also commissioned from community pharmacists. These services are supported by service specifications and Patient Group Directions that clearly set out the parameters within which the pharmacists can act and when to refer patients to a GP.

Suicide: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has taken steps to increase support for suicide prevention services in Solihull constituency.

Maria Caulfield: We introduced the new Suicide Prevention Strategy for England on 11 September 2023. The strategy sets an ambition to reduce the suicide rate within five years, with an initial reduction seen in half this time. The actions in the strategy are designed to impact across the country including in Solihull. It sets out over 100 actions that will be delivered by different Government departments and organisations across different sectors to make progress towards this aim. The actions and priorities in the new strategy are informed by engagement with a wide range of stakeholders with lived experience, the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group and by the responses to the mental health and wellbeing call for evidence that ran to July 2022.

Maternity Services: Resignations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of reasons other than retirement for maternity staff leaving NHS employment.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England collects information based on a broad ‘reason for leaving’ data field in the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), linked to staff recorded as leaving active service. ESR is the payroll system for the National Health Service; information from it is held by NHS Digital and is based upon the National Workforce Data Set, which allows for the capture of nationally consistent information about the healthcare workforce for the purposes of monitoring and workforce planning. The following table shows midwife leavers from the NHS and Reason for Leaving in NHS trusts and other Core Organisations in England between 31 March 2022 and 2023: Reasons for LeavingNumber of midwivesBank Staff not fulfilled minimum work requirement2Death in Service14Dismissal - Capability21Dismissal - Conduct4Dismissal - Some Other Substantial Reason10Dismissal - Statutory Reason0Employee Transfer3End of Fixed Term Contract17End of Fixed Term Contract - Completion of Training Scheme1End of Fixed Term Contract - End of Work Requirement0End of Fixed Term Contract - Other2Flexi Retirement12Has Not Worked0Mutually Agreed Resignation - Local Scheme with Repayment0Mutually Agreed Resignation - National Scheme with Repayment0Pregnancy0Redundancy - Compulsory0Redundancy - Voluntary1Retirement - Ill Health17Retirement Age389Voluntary Early Retirement - no Actuarial Reduction28Voluntary Early Retirement - with Actuarial Reduction11Voluntary Resignation - Adult Dependants7Voluntary Resignation - Better Reward Package15Voluntary Resignation - Child Dependants28Voluntary Resignation - Health68Voluntary Resignation - Incompatible Working Relationships11Voluntary Resignation - Lack of Opportunities11Voluntary Resignation - Other/Not Known213Voluntary Resignation - Promotion62Voluntary Resignation - Relocation205Voluntary Resignation - To undertake further education or training32Voluntary Resignation - Work Life Balance323Unknown1,573Midwife Total3,080Source: NHS EnglandNote: Robust assessment of drivers in reasons for leaving is difficult from the data due to the high number of staff who have an unknown classification.

DNA: Screening

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the University of Manchester's article entitled Reforming UK fertility legislation: the effects of online DNA testing, published on 27 November.

Maria Caulfield: The Government asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in 2021 to undertake a review and public engagement about priorities for modernising the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. HFEA published its report on 14 November 2023, which is available at the following link:https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/modernising-the-regulation-of-fertility-treatment-and-research-involving-human-embryos/While the Department has made no assessment, HFEA’s report makes references to the points raised in the University of Manchester's article, noting the rapidly developing field of genetic testing, including direct to consumer testing, and includes proposals about access to donor information. The Government is considering the issues raised in the report and will respond in due course.

Mental Health

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) her Department and (b) the NHS collects data on rates of (i) depression, (ii) bad nerves and (iii) anxiety in (A) men and (B) women.

Maria Caulfield: The Adult Psychiatry Morbidity Survey provides data on the prevalence of adult mental health conditions in the England adult population, including common mental health disorders such as ‘depressive episodes’ and ‘generalised anxiety disorders’ split by men and women.Previous surveys were conducted in 1993, 2000, 2007 and the latest published one is 2014. Fieldwork for the next survey is underway, with reporting scheduled for 2025.

Midwives

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a breakdown of the NHS midwifery workforce in England by length of service for (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2017, (d) 2019 and (e) the most recent year for which she has figures.

Maria Caulfield: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Maternity Services: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many maternity support workers there were in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the full-time equivalent number of maternity support workers working in National Health Service hospital trusts and other core organisations in England, annually from September 2018 to 2023:Maternity ServicesNeonatal NursingTotalSeptember 20186,8434177,260September 20196,9514357,386September 20207,1264747,600September 20216,9874647,451September 20227,1954437,638September 20237,5774858,063Source: NHS Workforce Statistics, NHS DigitalNotes:Maternity support staff can be defined as all support staff that work in the ‘maternity services’ and ‘neonatal nursing’ care settings, with the latter including Special Care Baby Units. This includes nursing associates, nursery nurses, nursing assistants/auxiliaries, healthcare assistants and support workers.The data includes staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations. It excludes staff directly employed general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other providers such as community interest companies and private providers.

House of Commons Commission

Palace of Westminster: Fire Prevention

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much has been spent on the (a) purchase and (b) installation of fire doors in the Palace of Westminster since 2010.

Sir Charles Walker: It is not possible to give a fair and accurate number spent on the (a) purchase and (b) installation of all fire doors in the Palace of Westminster since 2010. This is because fire doors are routinely refurbished or replaced as part of wider projects, and information recorded on building and maintenance projects does not specifically identify which involved installing new fire doors.There was a fire door and compartmentation project that took place from 2016–2020. This project focused on the refurbishment and conservation of doors, rather than the installation of new doors. The team worked on 721 doors across the Palace of Westminster, only a handful of which were purchased and installed as new. The total cost of the project amounted to £5.2 million, which covered not only the work on the doors but out of hours working (so as not to disrupt the business of the House) and work to replace glazed panels or large bespoke doors.It would not be possible to break down the cost by door nor the cost to install the small number of new doors that were purchased as part of this particular project.As a member of the Parliamentary Fire Safety Committee, I would be happy to take forward any concerns from the right hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal and ensure they are promptly addressed.

Cabinet Office

Peter Bone

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the former Deputy Leader of the House of Commons was awarded a payment on 27 September 2022, in the context of his age at the date he ceased to hold office.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Bullying and Harassment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many settlement payments his Department issued following claims of (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) discrimination in the (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23 financial years.

David Rutley: The FCDO has a zero tolerance approach to bullying, harassment and discrimination and is committed to a workplace in which all employees feel respected and fairly treated. In the financial year 2019/2020, there were no settlements following claims of bullying, harassment or discrimination. In each of the subsequent three financial years, there were fewer than five such settlement payments. One settlement payment made in 2022/2023 was in response to a finding by the Employment Tribunal against the FCDO; all other cases were settled with no admission or finding of liability.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Ian Byrne: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take diplomatic steps to help secure a humanitarian corridor in Gaza to enable the delivery of essential supplies to citizens.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Getting significantly more aid into Gaza is a clear priority. The Foreign Secretary has appointed a senior official, Mark Bryson-Richardson, as his Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to help drive forward this vital work.The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance and has already delivered 74 tonnes of aid to Gaza. Earlier this month, a further 82 tonnes of life saving UK aid arrived in Egypt onboard RFA Lyme Bay. UK funding supports the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. We continue to urge Israel to increase the flow of aid into Gaza and continue to reiterate the urgent need for more humanitarian pauses. We are exploring all methods of delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza to expand both the capacity and volume of aid arriving in Gaza.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Procurement

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the procurement exercise launched by his Department on 12 December 2023 under tender reference 350584/1290656, if he will publish the sixteen locations where valuation services under the proposed contract are required.

David Rutley: The sixteen locations where valuation services under the proposed contract are required have been published within the Tender Documents which can be accessed via FCDO e-sourcing tool Jaggaer [https://fcdo.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html]. The Department will publish notices and associated documentation for this procurement in line with Transparency Requirements [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-0123-requirements-to-publish-on-contracts-finder/guidance-on-the-transparency-requirements-for-publishing-on-contracts-finder-html].

Government Hospitality: Wines

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when he plans to publish the bi-annual report on the Government Wine Cellar for 2020-22; and with reference to the Answer of 24 July 2023 to Question 194689 and pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2023 to Question 1466 on Government Hospitality: Wines, for what reasons the report was not published (a) in Autumn 2023 and (b) before the Christmas recess.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Report was published on 11th January 2024. We profusely apologise for the delay in the publication of the report.

Israel: Gaza

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on Israel's obligations under the Genocide Convention including the duties in relation to incitement in the context of the war in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: UK ministers, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, maintain a regular dialogue with Israeli counterparts on a range of issues relating to the conflict including adherence to International Humanitarian Law. The Government continues to press Israel on the need to ensure its campaign is targeted against Hamas fighters and military objectives and its actions are in-line with IHL. The Government has also made clear that the Israeli Government must investigate war crimes allegedly committed by their nationals or armed forces.

Khadijatul Kubra

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Bangladeshi counterparts on the imprisonment of Khadijatul Kubra.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the UK and we regularly raise our human rights concerns including the treatment of those in detention with the Government of Bangladesh. We are monitoring the implementation of the Digital Security Act including the case of Khadijatul Kubra. During the 5th UK-Bangladesh Strategic Dialogue in September, the FCDO raised this case with the Government of Bangladesh. Khadijatul Kubra was released on bail in December 2023. We will continue to monitor this case closely.

Gaza: Israel

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on allegations that Israeli forces detained six staff working with the Ministry of Health and Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza on 22 November 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on individual cases; however, we are concerned over reports about Israeli detention practices. The Government is clear that administrative detention should be used only where it is justified in accordance with international law. Those under detention should either be charged or released. The UK is committed to working with Israel to secure improvements in its detention practices and repeatedly calls on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law. This has been repeatedly raised by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel: Hamas

Bob Blackman: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of Israeli Defence Force reports of Hamas using schools as bases.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Hamas is putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. The UK is aware of reports of Hamas using schools and other infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities, bases and command nodes.This does not absolve parties from their responsibility to ensure that their actions are compliant with International Humanitarian Law, and minimise harm to civilians. The UK is particularly clear that civilian buildings must not be targeted, and extra care must be taken in relation to hospitals and other locations such as places of worship.

Gaza: Bombings

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) refugee camps in Gaza that have been struck by bombs since 8 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Hamas is putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. The UK is aware of reports of Hamas using schools and other infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities, as bases and command nodes.This does not absolve parties from their responsibility to ensure that their actions are compliant with international humanitarian law, and minimise harm to civilians. The UK is particularly clear that civilian buildings must not be targeted and extra care must be taken in relation to hospitals and other locations such as places of worship.

Morocco: Human Rights

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will raise with the Moroccan Ambassador the potential release of detained Saharawi human rights activists.

David Rutley: The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life. We regularly discuss migration and treatment of refugees with partners, including through our embassies, and we remain committed to supporting them to manage this effectively.

Gaza: British Nationals Abroad

Patrick Grady: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will issue guidance for individuals considering travelling to (a) Israel and (b) Palestine with the intention of fighting in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the armed forces of their additional nationalities. The Israel Defence Force is a recognised armed force and British nationals can volunteer for service with them. FCDO Travel Advice provides British nationals with information on the risks of travelling or living abroad, including in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories This guidance can be found on Gov.uk. Anyone who travels to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity should expect to be investigated upon their return to the UK. Decisions on prosecutions are taken independently by the police and Crown Prosecution Service on a case-by-case basis.

Ethiopia and Somaliland: Ports

John Spellar: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia to provide port access.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO noted the 1 January 2024 announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which suggests that Ethiopia will recognise Somaliland's independence in return for the lease of territory along its coastline. The UK is clear that we respect Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our position on Somaliland remains unchanged: alongside our international partners we do not recognise Somaliland as an independent state. We believe the settlement of Somaliland's status is for Somalia and Somaliland to resolve, through a consultative process. We are engaging all countries involved to call for calm and encourage dialogue.

Nigeria: Diplomatic Service

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what consular assistance has been provided to British nationals who are (a) former and (b) current members of the Synagogue Church of all Nations in Nigeria since March 2010; and if he has made representations to his counterparts in Nigeria on consular cases involving that Church.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO is deeply concerned about the reports of violence and abuse surrounding the Synagogue Church of All Nations. We have raised these allegations with Nigerian State Government representatives and will also raise with the Federal authorities. We take all reports of crime, including sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas very seriously and encourage British nationals who want to raise such allegations, whether current or historic, to contact our consular teams who can support them to report these to the authorities. British nationals in Nigeria in need of urgent help can call us on +234 (9) 462 3100 or if in the UK +44 20 7008 5000.

Israel: Hamas

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of comments by Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage General Ezzatolloh Zarghami that he (a) supplied rockets for use against Israel and (b) provided training to Hamas in their underground tunnels.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Iran poses an unacceptable threat to Israel. We have long condemned Iran's destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial, and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Hamas, Hizballah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and further escalates tensions. The Foreign Secretary raised Iran's ongoing support to its destabilising proxies and partners with the Iranian Foreign Minister on 31 December. The UK remains clear that Iran must use its influence with groups in the region to prevent escalation, and that Iran bears responsibility for the actions of groups they have supported over many years.We continue to work closely with our partners to hold Iran to account, and we currently have over 400 sanctions in place against the Iranian regime. The UK's new sanctions regime came into force on 14 December and is designed to target Iran and its proxies' hostile activity against the interests of the UK and our partners.Israel has endured the worst terrorist attack in its history at the hands of Hamas. The UK Government will continue to stand with Israel as it faces pressing challenges to its security. We have deployed UK military assets to the region to carry out surveillance and act as a deterrent. On 14 November, the Foreign Secretary also announced targeted sanctions, coordinated with the US, against Hamas leadership (four Hamas leaders and two financiers) to disrupt Hamas operations in Gaza and wherever their leaders base themselves.

World Economic Forum: Membership

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government paid for a membership subscription to be a member of the World Economic Forum in 2023.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government did not pay for a membership subscription to be a member of the World Economic Forum in 2023.

British Overseas Territories: Internet and Telecommunications

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help improve (a) internet and (b) communications connectivity in the Overseas Territories.

David Rutley: This UK Government is committed to supporting the UK Overseas Territories as valued members of the British Family. Whilst telecommunications are mostly devolved matters which are the responsibility of the local governments in the Territories the UK provides significant support to the four Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible Territories. The FCDO funded capital investment programme in Montserrat recently delivered a sub-sea fibre cable and in St Helena we are supporting improvements in the local telecommunications infrastructure. The FCDO also supports the provision of internet to Pitcairn Island and Tristan da Cunha.

Balkans: Diplomatic Relations

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support the Special Envoy to the Western Balkans.

Leo Docherty: Drawing on his extensive experience and expertise, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Lord Peach, works with Western Balkans leaders, our allies in the US and Europe, and officials in multilateral organisations, to support and strengthen regional stability and security. Lord Peach is supported in this role through policy advice from across Government, through a Private Office based in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and through the Government's network of embassies, delegations and permanent missions.

Yemen: Diplomatic Service

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many officials from his Department are stationed at the UK’s diplomatic mission in Sana’a as of 19 December 2023.

David Rutley: As at the end of November 2023, there were zero staff with a working location of Sana'a or Yemen.The British Embassy in Sana'a temporarily suspended operations in 2015 as a result of conflict in Yemen.

British Overseas Territories: Climate Change

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to support the Overseas Territories with climate change adaptation.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to strengthening our partnership with the Overseas Territories (OTs) to protect and sustainably manage our unique and globally significant environments, and to tackle climate priorities.The FCDO is working in partnership with the Territories to develop Climate Security Assessments through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. Our Blue Belt Programme has provided over £35 million since 2016 to enhance marine protection and build climate change resilience. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as the lead UK Government Department in this area, continues to make support available through Darwin Plus for biodiversity and conservation projects in the OTs which aim to improve resilience to climate change.

Alaa Abdel Fattah

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah from Tora Prison in Egypt.

David Rutley: Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government and have been consistently clear in our calls for his release, while continuing to press the need for urgent consular access. The Prime Minister most recently raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 1 December. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised his case with President Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 December. The former Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case on a number of occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, including on 18 September. The Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, raised the case with the Egyptian authorities on 15 November during his visit to Cairo.

Ukraine: International Assistance

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) military steps to support Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: The UK plays a leading role in driving international support for Ukraine. We are in constant contact with our European partners in order to: ensure Ukraine receives the diplomatic support it needs; strengthen Ukraine's military capabilities; address its humanitarian needs; support its economic resilience; and promote longer-term recovery and reconstruction. The Foreign Secretary set out the high level of UK ambition with European counterparts at a number of recent meetings, including with NATO Foreign Ministers and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council meetings in November. He has also had talks with the French President and several of his European counterparts, most recently with Italy's Foreign Minister on 8 January.

Tea: Production

Liz Twist: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the UK's commitment to Sustainable Development Goals 8, 8.7 and 15, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the (a) working conditions and (b) incomes of smallholder tea producers; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of prices for green leaf sales on the incomes of smallholder tea producers.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across agrifood sectors through our multilateral and bilateral programmes, including regular global donor coordination.Our work with Wood Foundation Africa increases Rwandan smallholder tea production, creating jobs and increasing incomes. Our "Work opportunities for Women" programme enables Kenyan women tea smallholders to apply more climate-adaptive techniques. In Malawi, UK's CASA programme enabled  tea out-growers and their associations to better exercise their rights with large tea estates.The International Development White Paper restates our commitment to accelerating progress towards all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes UK support to tackling modern slavery by promoting raised standards overseas.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the number of Palestinians arrested by Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are aware of reports covering Israeli security force actions in the West Bank, including the arrests of Palestinians. As both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have emphasised to Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is critical that Israel acts to reduce tensions in the West Bank to stop the conflict spreading.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings set out in the press notice by Amnesty International entitled Israel/OPT: Horrifying cases of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees amid spike in arbitrary arrests, published on 8 November 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government is aware of reports covering treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli military detention. We have made clear our concerns over Israeli detention practices, particularly over the reported use of painful restraints and also the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations. We are also concerned about reports covering Israel's extensive use of administrative detention, which should be used only where it is justified in accordance with international law. Those under detention should either be charged or released. The Government continues to stress that all actions must be in line with International Humanitarian Law in all engagements with Israeli counterparts.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: County Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6458 on Special Educational Needs: County Durham, whether she is providing additional resources to Durham County Council to meet demand for Education, Health and Care plans.

David Johnston: County Durham are part of the department's Delivering Better Value (DBV) programme. DBV aims to work with selected authorities to review how services are structured and delivered to achieve better outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in a sustainable way. The DBV programme achieves this by helping each of the participating local areas complete a diagnostic to work out the root causes of their challenges and identify local opportunities to sustainably improve the outcomes and experiences of the children and young people with SEND in their care.On completion of their diagnostic, Durham created an action plan to address their key local challenges and implement service reforms; based on this the department provided grant funding of £1 million to support the delivery of their plans.Durham County Council have also been involved with the Targeted Performance Improvement programme which has supported them with embedding Ordinarily Available Provision.In addition, SEND funding to the Local Authority of County Durham has increased by 35% to £94 million over the past three years.

Students: Diabetes

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to provide support for students with diabetes.

David Johnston: Pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education. In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and has published statutory guidance intended to help governing bodies meet their legal responsibilities. This guidance sets out the arrangements they will be expected to make, based on good practice. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and should have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. The government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating amongst pupils and provide healthy, tasty and nutritious food and drink. Compliance with the School Food Standards, which restricts foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, is mandatory. It ensures that pupils always have healthy food and drink options available to them while in school, and that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

Family Hubs: Pregnancy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help ensure that family hubs provide therapeutic interventions to pregnant mothers who are at risk of having their baby removed.

David Johnston: The government is investing around £300 million through the Family Hubs & Start for Life programme to enable 75 local authorities to create family hubs, and to improve vital services to give every baby the best start in life. Family Hubs are about bringing together professionals and services to provide support that families need. As part of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the government is investing around £100 million for perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, which includes therapeutic start for life services. These services would be available to women who are at risk of having a baby removed from their care if they have mild-moderate perinatal mental health or parent-infant relationship difficulties. Staff in the Family Hub know what services are provided where locally, and can connect families to services, information and support relevant to a family's specific needs. This will include supporting families to access evidence-based health improvement advice and interventions. The programme sets out that local authorities are best placed to design their services to meet local needs. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-programme-local-authority-guide. This investment in Family Hubs is significant. It will have a wide reach across the country, improving outcomes for thousands of babies, children, and families.

Pupils: Ethnic Groups

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils at every mainstream state (a) primary and (b) secondary school (i) were from each ethnic group and (ii) had an unclassified ethnic group in each academic year since 2006-7; and what the URN was of each school.

Damian Hinds: Tables containing the data requested has been emailed to my hon. Friend, the Member for Harborough, via his parliamentary office. This is due to the file size of the attachments.   The tables contain numbers and percentages indicating the ethnicity of pupils at primary and secondary state-funded mainstream schools in England from 2006/07 to 2022/23. The data is based on the January school census in each academic year. Note that school unique reference numbers (URNs) may change over time; for example, where a school becomes an academy. Information on links between schools’ current and prior legal identities is available via the Get Information About Schools (GIAS) website at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. Until January 2018 the department only collected data on ethnicity for pupils of compulsory school age and above. Figures from January 2018 include pupils of all ages. Notes on the tables:Ethnicity of pupils at state-funded primary and secondary schools in England 2006/07 to 2022/23.Source: linked January school census data from the pupil data repository.Figures may not match published figures exactly. A small number of pupil records are removed for reasons of strict confidentiality. School phase type may differ in the published data for a very small number of schools.

Denton Community College

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's estimated timescale is for the completion of the academisation of Denton Community College.

Damian Hinds: An academy order was issued to the governing body of Denton Community College and Tameside local authority on 22 March 2023. The Regional Director for the North West then agreed for the Northern Education Trust to be the academy trust match for the school in July 2023.Project planning meetings between the school, trust and local authority take place regularly and these meetings form the basis for discussions on timescales. The current agreeable date for conversion is estimated to be June 2024. This is reliant on Tameside Council’s Cabinet Board approving the school’s Private Finance Initiative agreement.The Regional Director’s office have been asked to contact the honourable Member for Denton and Reddish to keep him updated on progress.

Pupils: Transgender People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she had discussions with (a) teachers' trade unions and (b) LGBTQ+ organisations on her Department's draft guidance on Gender questioning children: draft schools and colleges guidance, published on 19 December 2023.

Damian Hinds: The department is keen to consider the full range of views from all stakeholders and the public consultation on the draft guidance which is open until 12 March 2024 to allow all organisations and individuals to comment.During this 12-week consultation period, the department plans to engage with a range of interested organisations, including organisations that represent LGBT groups.In forming the guidance the department and Ministers engaged with experts, including Dr Hilary Cass, school leaders and Parliamentarians, including those who represent LGBT groups.Departmental officials spoke to a range of groups and organisations to help inform the guidance.

Schools: Children in Care

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools that refused to admit (a) looked-after and (b) previously looked-after children were subsequently directed to do so by her Department in each of the last three academic years.

Damian Hinds: All schools are required to give highest priority in their admissions criteria to looked after children and previously looked after children, including those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. Local authorities have powers to direct maintained schools to admit a pupil, in certain prescribed circumstances. Local authorities do not have powers to direct academies, but can, where appropriate, request that the Secretary of State, directs the academy to admit.   The Secretary of State has powers under an academy’s funding agreement to direct an academy to admit a pupil if they have not been able to secure a school place using the normal in-year admissions procedures. The School Complaints Compliance Unit acts on behalf of the Secretary of State in issuing directions to admit a child to academies The department has not issued any directions to academies in the last three academic years for looked after children. The department has issued ‘minded to direct’ outcomes where the department’s view is that an academy should be directed to admit a pupil. If an academy does not admit by a set date or provide further information to explain why the academy should not admit, then the department would proceed to issue a formal direction.The department classifies all looked after children and previously looked after children as ‘looked after children’ (LAC) on our correspondence system and therefore does not differentiate between them. The data the department holds is visible in the table below:Academic YearNumber of LAC RequestsNumber of LAC ‘Minded to Direct’Number of Live Cases2021/2213402022/23311302023/241727

Schools: Concrete

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the amount of physical learning time lost by pupils studying creative subjects in schools affected by RAAC in the last four months.

Damian Hinds: An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 6 December, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information. As of 27 November, there are 231 education settings with confirmed RAAC in some of their buildings. At the time of publication, three schools had hybrid arrangements in place, of which two are now in full time face-to-face education for all pupils and we expect the remaining school to be back in the near future. There were no education settings with confirmed RAAC where all pupils are in full-time remote learning. Where the presence of RAAC is confirmed, responsible bodies and schools are expected to ensure that face-to-face learning continues as a priority. The department will support them to do this through dedicated caseworker teams. Each school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from a team of caseworkers, who work with schools and colleges to assess what support is needed and implement mitigation plans that are right for them. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits its circumstances. Where some short-term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to teaching and return pupils to face-to-face teaching as soon as possible. As all cases are different and the support each school or college receive is bespoke, identifying the number of pupils affected is not reflective of the reality for affected cases.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Employment

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisons provide planned activity to all inmates who are neither unwell nor undergoing punishment which involves (a) morning and (b) afternoon purposeful activity between Monday and Friday.

Edward Argar: All prisons have systems in place for the day-to-day management of regime delivery. This ensures that regimes are safe, decent, secure, resilient, and sustainable. Each prison has a Regime Management Plan that clearly sets out the full range of prisoner activities and services delivered within the prison, morning and afternoon, from Monday to Friday, in accordance with Regime management planning: PSI 07/2017 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We know that sufficient frontline staffing is essential to improving the regime offering to prisoners. Against a challenging labour market, we have seen indications of an improving national staffing picture within prisons. Between 30 September 2022 and 30 September 2023, the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Band 3-5 officers in post rose from 21,617 to 23,058 – an increase of 1,441 FTE (6.7%). In the same period, we saw a fall in the resignation rate among Band 3-5 officers of 2.9 percentage points in the year to 30 September 2023 compared to the previous year (from 11.5% to 8.6%).This increased staffing is working. The number of prisons delivering an Amber/ Red or Red regimes has reduced significantly over the past 12 months, from 44 in January 2023 to 31 currently.Regime Management Plans as of 4 January 2024 (latest return provided by 123 sites)RegimeNumber of sitesProportion (%)Green (Full delivery)2016Green - Amber (Majority of activities and services delivered)7259Amber - Red (Reduced but sustainable delivery of activities and services)2924Red (Delivery of basic activities and services not sustainable beyond short term)21

Legal Profession: Racial Discrimination

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report by the University of Manchester entitled Racial Bias and the Bench, published in November 2022, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the implications for its policies of the findings on the adequacy of the level of take-up of race training by legal professionals; and if he will take steps with the (a) Lady Chief Justice and (b) Chief Coroner to increase the take-up of this training.

Mike Freer: Everyone has a right to be confident in the justice system, regardless of their background. In 2023, the government published an update to the Inclusive Britain Strategy – our ambitious response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Report – which included the important work we are doing to improve diversity in the judiciary and magistracy. To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lady Chief Justice, the Senior President of the Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively, exercised through the Judicial College. The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of Government. Legal professional training and statutory responsibility for encouraging a diverse legal profession sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board.

Judiciary: Conduct

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report by the University of Manchester entitled Racial Bias and the Bench, published in November 2022, whether he has had recent discussions with the Lady Chief Justice on the recommendation to (a) publish the Judicial Executive Board report into judicial bullying and racism and (b) make the judiciary more (i) transparent and (ii) accountable.

Mike Freer: It is standard practice not to comment on discussions between Ministers and the judiciary. To protect the independence of the judiciary, it is a matter for the judiciary to determine which judiciary commissioned reports are published. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ), as Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales, has responsibility for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the welfare, training and guidance of the Judiciary of England and Wales. The LCJ carries out these responsibilities through the Judicial Executive Board (JEB) and the Judges’ Council. Successive LCJs have laid annual reports before Parliament. The report published by the previous LCJ in September 2023 reported on training, welfare and related matters.

Ministry of Justice: Kindred Agency

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the contract agreed by his Department with Kindred Agency Ltd. on 21 December 2023 under procurement reference 380687/1297247, if he will publish the (a) work specification set out in Schedule 20 of that contract, and (b) statement of work template set out in Annex A of the letter of appointment.

Mike Freer: A redacted version of Call-Off Schedule 20, which includes the specification, will be published within the next 30 days.The statement of works template contained within the letter of appointment is a template and is used throughout the contract duration. There was no information included in this template on contract signature.

Ministry of Justice: Tribunals

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the quantified contingent liability for headquarters employment tribunals on page 249 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, HC 13, published on 28 November 2023, how many outstanding headquarters employment tribunal cases his Department had on its books on (a) 31 March 2021, (b) 31 March 2022, (c) 31 March 2023, and (d) 31 December 2023; and how many cases related to judicial pension claims on each date.

Mike Freer: The table below sets out the quantified contingent liability for headquarters employment tribunals for the years to: 31 March 202331 March 202231 March 2021 VolumeValue (£m)VolumeValue (£m)VolumeValue (£m)HQ employment tribunal cases26.110.210.1Of the above, how many judicial pension claims1*6.00000*While this case is a judicial pension claim, the other case in 2022-23 is a judicial claim for back pay and includes a pension element. We are assessing employment tribunal claims for the 2023-24 accounts production process and are unable to provide the details of the contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2023 at this stage.

Prison Officers: Length of Service

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the cumulative number of years of experience held by prison officers in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: The cumulative length of service, in years, held by all prison officers is given in Table 1 below. Most years’ figures are given as at 31 December each year, aside from 2023, where the latest published figures are as at 30 September 2023.HMPPS has a strong training offer for new recruits which ensures all officers are equipped to perform their roles safely and securely. Total and average length of service in the workforce will increase as HMPPS’s new recruits from recent years continue in the prison service, who we are seeking to support through a number of programmes aimed at increasing retention.This includes the introduction of over 150 new colleague mentors to support new staff in their roles, which takes the pressure off both experienced Prison Officers and managers, and, a Career Pathways framework to enable staff to identify their development needs and career aspirations. We are also running supervision pilots in three prisons alongside the introduction of new leadership training, which will contribute to supporting career development and retention of experienced officers.Table 1 – Band 3-5 Prison Officers1 in England and Wales cumulative length of service2, as at 31 December each year from 2010 to 2022 and 30 September 20233  DateNumber of Prison officers in post Cumulative Length of Service of all prison officers  (Full Time Equivalent)  31/12/201024,501329,353  31/12/201123,051326,480  31/12/201221,841326,660  31/12/201318,731287,921  31/12/201417,795278,254  31/12/201518,235272,086  31/12/201617,887261,607  31/12/201719,925253,665  31/12/201822,722248,008  31/12/201922,154246,375  31/12/202021,564243,036  31/12/202122,156240,501  31/12/202221,632227,105  30/09/202323,058221,755 Notes to tables:Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers. The length of service in HMPPS is calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS. The dates reflect the Full Time Equivalent and cumulative years of service at that point of the year.  Table 2 - Band 3-5 Prison Officers1 in England and Wales cumulative length of service2, as at 30 September 20233 - by length of service band Completed years of serviceNumber of Prison officers in post (FTE)Cumulative Length of Service of all prison officers ( Years)  0-411,50720,990  5-95,03833,569  10+6,513167,196  Total 23,058  221,755Notes to tables:1. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.2. The length of service in HMPPS is calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS.3. The dates reflect the Full Time Equivalent and cumulative years of service at that point of the year.

Probation Service: Recruitment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 18 September 2023 to Question 199877 on Probation Service: Recruitment, whether 843 full time equivalent staff were recruited by 31 December 2023.

Edward Argar: We are unable to answer this question currently. This is because the data that contains workforce statistics up to 31 December 2023 will not be published until 15 February 2024 in the HM Prison and Probation Service Workforce Statistics release. Providing these figures ahead of time would be a breach of pre-release procedures for Official Statistics.

Youth Custody: Per Capita Costs

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 July 2021 to Question 33308 on Youth Custody: Costs, what the cost was to the public purse of a child placed in youth custody (a) on remand and (b) for other reasons in (i) secure children's homes, (ii) secure training centres and (iii) young offenders' institutes in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Edward Argar: The average annual cost per place for a child or young person in youth custody, inclusive of educational services, is:Secure Children’s Home: £299,459.47Secure Training Centre: £305,892.40Young Offender Institution: £129,333.58.There is no difference in cost per place whether the child or young person is on remand or is in custody for other reasons.

Prison Officers

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers were on detached duty in 2023; and what the additional cost to the public purse was for the provision of prison officers on detached duty in 2023.

Edward Argar: As the length of deployment for prison officers on national detached duty varies, we have provided data based on average deployment rates.On average 332.35 staff per week were deployed on National Detached Duty in 2023. The average additional cost associated with this deployment is £313,093.04 per week: this includes travel and subsistence, accommodation and incentivisation costs.

Prisoners: Education

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adult prisoners were undertaking level (a) 2 and (b) 3 courses in each academic year since September 2015.

Edward Argar: Until 2018-19, education provision in prisons was the responsibility of the Department for Education. Figures for subsequent years, with the exception of 2020-21, are shown in the table below.During much of the Covid pandemic in 2020-21, prison regimes were restricted, and education delivered remotely. As collection of data was suspended for a period, figures for 2020-21 are not available. The return to classroom learning in 2021-22 enabled data collection to resume, but the effect of the regime restrictions can be seen in the statistics for that year. As of 9 May 2022, all Covid-19 related regime restrictions were removed.YearLearners studying below Level 2Learners studying at Level 2Learners studying at Level 32019-2059,89124,7721,2262021-2239,41915,3458412022-2348,59022,4651,960 Note: Data sourced from the CURIOUS data collection system.

Prison Officers: Crimes of Violence

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for assaults on prison officers under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018.

Gareth Bacon: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of defendants convicted for offences relating to assault on prison officers, from 2010 to 2022, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022, using the following HO codes:10504 – Assaulting a prisoner custody officer or custody officer00873 – Assault or assault by beating of an emergency workerThe assault on a prison officer can be prosecuted under both ‘Assaulting a prisoner custody officer or custody officer’ and ‘Assault or assault by beating of an emergency worker’ offences since the enactment of Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018. However, whether the offences under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 relate to assaults specifically on prison officers is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

Department for Business and Trade

Cheese: Canada

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of how many UK cheese exporters will have to pay full tariffs on exports to Canada as a result of changes to the trading agreement.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies exported cheese to Canada in 2023; and what estimate she has made of how many will be able to export to Canada without being subject to full tariffs in 2024.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In the 12 months leading to and including October 2023, the UK exported 1.9 kilotonnes worth of cheese to Canada. This represented 1.1% of the UK’s global exports of cheese in this period. The UK remains eligible for the tariff-free ‘non-EU Reserve’ of Canada’s WTO Cheese Tariff Rate Quota of 6.1 kilotonnes. As of 1 January 2024, UK exporters need to ensure the Canadian importer they are partnering with has the correct import licence. Upon entry into force, UK exporters will also be able to access CPTPP quotas providing for 16.5 KT of cheese exports to Canada a year.

Cheese: Canada

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the UK’s trading agreement with Canada on the British cheese industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As of 1 January 2024, U.K. exporters can export cheese to Canada tariff free if they do so through a Canadian importer with a licence for Canada’s “non EU” World Trade Organisation quota. These changes only came into effect at the start of the year, and it is too early to determine the full impact. We will continue to work closely with U.K. cheese exporters to monitor the impact of the changes, including what this means for the relationships between Canadian import licence holders and exporters.

Agriculture: Animal Welfare and Origin Marking

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help protect farmers from competition from countries with lower animal welfare standards; and what steps she is taking to help ensure that food labelling accurately reflects the origin of produce.

Greg Hands: HM Government is committed to uphold our high standards of food in any trade deal. All food and drink products imported into the UK must comply with our import requirements and regulatory standards for food safety.Country of origin information is already required for a range of fresh and frozen meat products, as well as for uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil and wine.At the Oxford Farming Conference, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a rapid consultation to gather views on how we can make packaging information clearer. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will announce more details on this in due course.

Cheese: Canada

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help British cheese producers maintain levels of exports to Canada.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As of 1 January 2024, U.K. exporters can export cheese to Canada tariff free if they do so through a Canadian importer with a licence for Canada’s “non-EU” World Trade Organisation quota. We continue to work closely with U.K. cheese exporters to monitor the impact of these changes.We will also work closely with the sector to ensure that U.K. exporters are in a strong position to take advantage of the Canadian dairy quotas that the U.K. will be able to access through CPTPP.

Cheese

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support British cheese makers.

Greg Hands: We are supporting dairy producers, including through the Dairy Export Programme which resulted from £1m committed by the Prime Minister to boost UK dairy exports, especially amongst SMEs.The Programme was agreed following consultations with UK dairy businesses and industry bodies. It is UK-wide and designed to unlock new opportunities for our dairy exports in growth markets around the world.The Programme builds on existing work the department has been doing with the sector. For example, DBT recently supported a VIP cheese buyer tasting space at Anuga, the world-leading food fair in Cologne.

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many meetings (a) ministers and (b) officials of her Department have had with (i) ministers and (ii) officials in the (A) Home Office and (B) Ministry of Justice to discuss retained EU law in the context of the Government's proposals for the removal of illegal migrants to Rwanda.

Kevin Hollinrake: Ministers and officials at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have not had any meetings with ministers or officials at the Home Office or Ministry of Justice to discuss retained EU law (REUL) (now known as assimilated law), in the context of the removal of illegal migrants to Rwanda, although DBT officials regularly engage with both departments as a matter of course on their intentions for REUL/assimilated law falling within their areas of responsibility.DBT is committed to working with any other government department to make the most of our freedoms outside the EU.

Post Offices: Closures

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of post offices on local communities.

Kevin Hollinrake: While the Post Office has the commercial freedom to deliver the branch network within the parameters Government sets, the Government fully appreciates the impact a Post Office branch closure can have on a community.With the largest retail network in the country, there will inevitably be variations in the number of branches open at any one time and any closures are usually outside the control of Post Office. However, the network is not in decline and in fact, more post offices opened last year than closed, and the network is as large today as it has been for five years, with around 11,700 branches open – above the 11,500 target that we set the Post Office.The Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria to ensure that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a post office. The Government-set access criteria ensures that however the network changes, vital services remain within local reach for all citizens.

Small Businesses: South Holland and the Deepings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many small and medium-sized enterprises received Government funding in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in each of the last five years.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information in the format requested.The Department have a range of programmes dedicated to supporting small and medium businesses to grow. This includes free access to the Business Support Helpline, Help to Grow, Growth Hubs, UK Export Academy, International Trade Advisors, and the Export Support Service. Government funded support is also available through the British Business Bank, including Future Fund: Breakthrough.The expansion of Made Smarter and the new Digital Adoption Taskforce will also support SMEs to adopt advanced digital technologies.

Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988.

Kevin Hollinrake: Fire safety requirements for UK domestic upholstered furniture are acknowledged as being among the highest in the world. However, it is important that changes are made to take account of modern-day hazards and risks.As a result, the Government announced it would develop a new approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture to maintain and improve fire safety and take account of modern-day hazards.A consultation on proposals for a new approach closed on 24 October and the Government will issue a response in due course.

Home Office

Asylum: Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children seeking asylum have spent at least one night in hotel accommodation provided by the Home Office in the last 3 months.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children seeking asylum were placed in hotel accommodation by the Home Office in the last three months, broken down by number of nights spent in that accomodation.

Tom Pursglove: The High Court has upheld that local authorities have a statutory duty to care for UASC. We have always maintained that the best place for unaccompanied children to be accommodated is within a local authority. The High Court recently noted that improvements, plus impressive collaboration between the Home Office and Kent County Council, has led to a significant fall in the number of lone children being accommodated in hotels.Since 18 November 2023, the one remaining hotel in Kent has remained empty. Of the 7 hotels which were operational in 2022, 6 of those were closed permanently on 30 November 2023.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding will be allocated to local authorities to support them with the resettlement of Afghan families in their areas in 2024.

Tom Pursglove: Local authorities already receive the integration tariff (£20,520 per person over three years) where they are supporting arrivals under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy into settled accommodation, to support them to rebuild their lives in the UK and fully integrate into communities. For arrivals up to the end of March 2024, the Government will be offering a package of financial support to local authorities for the resettlement of Afghan arrivals. This includes £28 per person per day for councils supporting households in transitional accommodation; a flexible housing fund to councils supporting a household into settled accommodation (£7,100 per person, capped at £35k per household). It also includes contingency new burdens funding to mitigate any additional pressures of homelessness presentations from transitional accommodation (this includes the £9,150 homelessness funding and up to six months wraparound funding for those in temporary accommodation). This is an exceptional arrangement to acknowledge the urgent and unplanned use of transitional accommodation at this scale. Amendments are being made to existing funding instructions to reflect this package of support, which will be published in due course. The financial package for 2024/25 is still to be agreed and details will be published in due course with new funding instructions issued in the new financial year.

Immigration: Appeals

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many administrative reviews take over 12 months; and what is the average length of such reviews.

Chris Philp: Information on administrative review processing times is not held centrally and is not currently captured in a publishable form.Current timescales for processing administrative review applications are set out at Ask for a visa administrative review: If you're in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab), which states: “Currently, it can take 6 months or more to receive the result of the administrative review. If you haven’t had a decision on your application within 6 months, the Home Office will contact you with an update.”For EUSS administrative review applications the current timescales are set out at: EU Settlement Scheme: apply for an administrative review - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab), which states: “We have experienced unprecedented levels of applications which is causing a delay to our usual service. It can take 18 months or more to receive the result of your administrative review. If we have not been able to decide your application within 6 months, we’ll contact you to update you on the situation”.

Organised Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) civil society groups he is planning to work with as part of the Serious and Organised Crime strategy.

Tom Tugendhat: We will work with a wide range of groups to deliver the new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy.

Organised Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will publish a list of updated research priorities alongside the Serious and organised crime strategy 2023-2028.

Tom Tugendhat: We continue to ensure our response is informed by the latest research, analysis and evidence.

Organised Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of his Department's Serious and organised crime strategy 2018 to 2023.

Tom Tugendhat: The new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the previous strategy.The new strategy builds on past progress and responds to the changing threats we face.

Organised Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's No Place to Hide: Serious and Organised Crime Strategy 2023-2028, published on 13 December 2023, whether the 4 Ps Strategy is still active.

Tom Tugendhat: The new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy sets out an end-to-end response to serious and organised crime with five distinct lines of action.Our comprehensive approach continues to include work to pursue, prevent, protect and prepare.

Motorcycles: Crime

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of illegal off-road bike use were recorded by the police in Stockport in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences in England and Wales on an annual basis, as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Other PACE’ statistical bulletin. These data are published at Police Force Area level only. The most recent data, up to 2021, is available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118166/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-december-2021.odsHowever, the Home Office does not centrally collect data on incidents of illegal off-road bike use.

Asylum: Rwanda

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has had discussions with commercial airlines on the potential provision of flights between the UK and Rwanda for the purposes of relocating asylum seekers in line with (a) the Migration and Economic Development Partnership and (b) the UK-Rwanda treaty on provision of an asylum partnership.

Michael Tomlinson: We have robust plans in place for future flights and have carried out discussions with a range of companies. These discussions are commercially sensitive and therefore we will not be providing a running commentary on them.

Mosques

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times (a) he and (b) his predecessor made an official visit to a Mosque in the last three years.

Tom Tugendhat: In the last three years, the current Home Secretary has visited numerous mosques both in the UK and overseas in his roles as Foreign Secretary, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, and Member of Parliament for Braintree.Home Office has no record of an official visit by the former Home Secretary to a mosque in the last three years.

Domestic Abuse: Men

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to support male victims of domestic abuse in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the UK.

Laura Farris: The Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, published in March 2022, invests up to £230 million of cross-government funding in to tackling this crime, including up to £140 million to support victims. The plan sets out our ambition to reduce the prevalence of domestic abuse, regardless of who it affects, and to support all victims, including men.In 2019, we published the first ever cross-Government Male Victims’ Position Statement, a dedicated statement to recognise the support needs of male victims and to clarify and strengthen our response.This statement affirms the Government’s support for male victims of crimes that disproportionately impact women and girls.In 2023/24, the Home Office funded £200,000 for the national Men’s Advice Line run by Respect. This service offers advice and emotional support to male victims of domestic abuse and signposts to other vital services that help keep them, and their children, safe.

Visas: Married People

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a statutory right for British citizens to be joined by their non-UK spouse or partner on a family visa.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing job offers made to a non-UK spouse or partner to be taken into account under the minimum income requirement for family visas.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing third party support from the (a) parents and (b) siblings of the (i) applicant and (ii) their partner to contribute towards the minimum income requirement for family visas.

Tom Pursglove: The announcements made on 4 December relate solely to the level of the minimum income requirement (MIR). There are no current plans to make any changes to the rules regarding job offers or third-party support, although we keep all our rules under review. British citizens and those settled in the UK are free to enter into a genuine relationship with whomever they choose, but if they wish to establish their family life in the UK, it is appropriate they should do so on a basis which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. This is fair to migrants and to the wider community.Support from a third party cannot generally be counted towards the MIR. The applicant and their partner must generally have the required resources under their own control, not somebody else’s.Under the Immigration Rules, consideration of other credible and reliable sources of income, financial support, or funds available to the couple, may be taken into account where an applicant is unable to meet the MIR and refusal of an application for a partner visa could otherwise breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This may include credible prospective earnings from employment based on a confirmed job offer in the UK. Full details of the circumstances of when such a confirmed job offer or third party support may be considered as counting toward the MIR can be found in the published guidance at Gov.UK.

St Pancras Station: Immigration Controls

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the new EU entry/exit system on passenger processing times at St Pancras International station.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system at St Pancras. This includes working with High Speed 1 and Eurostar to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts there, as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.

Port of Dover: Immigration Controls

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the new EU entry/exit system on vehicle processing times at Dover ferry port.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system at Dover. This includes working with the Port of Dover to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts there, as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.

Channel Tunnel: Immigration Controls

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the new EU entry/exit system on vehicle processing times at the Eurotunnel terminal.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system at Eurotunnel. This includes working with Eurotunnel to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts there, as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.

Immigration Controls: EU Countries

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) Eurostar, Port of Dover and (b) Eurotunnel on the implementation of the new EU entry/exit system.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system. This includes working with port owners and operators to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts at the border. HMG’s focus is on the juxtaposed locations of Dover, St Pancras and Eurotunnel, as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.

Travel Requirements: EU Countries

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to increase public awareness of the new EU entry passport requirements coming into force in 2024.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system. This includes working with port owners and operators to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts at the border. Whilst EES and ETIAS are EU schemes, we expect that government communications to the travelling public will focus on the Gov.UK and FCDO travel advice websites, with additional bespoke communications to trade groups and carriers to enable them to support their members and customers.

Asylum: Disability

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled asylum seekers in asylum accommodation.

Tom Pursglove: Asylum seekers have access to health and social care services from the point of arrival in the UK. The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the healthcare and support they need. All accommodation providers have a contractual duty to assist people in accessing the health care they need. The Home Office also operates a Safeguarding Hub to support vulnerable individuals in accessing these services. In addition, the Home Office contracts Migrant Help to provide advice and guidance to asylum seekers should they have an issue with their accommodation or support, and for signposting to health and welfare services. Asylum seekers can access Migrant Help 24/7, every day of the year by a freephone telephone number, via an online chat or completing an email enquiry form both of which can be accessed free of charge on the Migrant Help website. Interpreting and translation services are available through Migrant Help when the need arises for asylum seekers to raise any queries or concerns.Where an individual is on asylum support and has a care need, a referral will be made to the local authority for an assessment of care needs under the Care Act 2014. Our guidance sets out the approach to be taken by the Home Office to the duties and obligations owed to asylum seekers who have disabilities, care needs or both. In doing so it sets out how the framework of the Care Act 2014 should be interpreted by the Home Office and its external partners in the context of asylum support. The guidance can be found here: Asylum-Seekers-With-Care-Needs-v2.0ext.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Immigration Controls: EU Countries

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) EU and (b) French counterparts on the implementation of the new EU entry/exit system.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system. This includes working with port owners and operators to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts at the border. HMG’s focus is on the juxtaposed locations of Dover, St Pancras and Eurotunnel as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.

Visas: Care Workers

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 42, on what evidential basis his Department proposed preventing overseas care workers from bringing family dependants to the UK.

Tom Pursglove: As the Prime Minister has made clear, current levels of migration to the UK are far too high. The long-term plan the Home Secretary has announced would mean around 300,000 of the people who came to the UK last year would not have been able to come. Care workers were added in February 2022 as a temporary addition to address acute shortages in the social care sector. This has since seen a rapid increase in numbers of people arrive with over 80,000 visas issued to main applicants in the last year to this September alone, bringing a further estimated 100,000 dependants. The Government will reduce the numbers on the Health and Care visa route by removing the right for care workers and senior care workers to bring dependants from spring 2024.

Visas: Ukraine

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 27 March 2023 to Question168058 on Visas: Ukraine, whether he plans to make an announcement on the extension of visas under the (a) Homes for Ukraine scheme, (b) Ukrainian Family Scheme and (c) Ukraine Extension Scheme beyond the initial three-year period.

Tom Pursglove: We are mindful that permission will start to expire, for the first arrivals under our Ukrainian schemes, from March 2025, and their need for certainty beyond that point to help them to plan ahead, for example if remaining in the UK, entering into rental agreements and living here independently. As a result, we actively keep the Ukraine schemes under consistent review.The UK Government stands with Ukraine and firmly believes that Ukraine will be safe again. When it’s safe to do so, Ukraine will need the repatriation of its citizens to help recover and rebuild their economy and infrastructure.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what routes to review are available to individuals who wish to challenge a decision on their application to the EU settlement scheme on the grounds of error if the decision was made on or after 5 October 2023.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing the right to an administrative review of decisions on applications to the EU settlement scheme.

Tom Pursglove: Under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), the option of administrative review no longer applies where a decision was made on an EUSS application on or after 5 October 2023. The right of appeal under the Immigration (Citizens’ Rights Appeals) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 will continue to meet our obligations under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to provide a means of redress for relevant decisions under the EUSS. The change aligns the EUSS with other UK immigration routes, none of which provide for both an administrative review and a right of appeal.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money his Department has allocated for housing asylum seekers in (a) hotels and (b) other locations in 2024.

Tom Pursglove: Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab).

Visas: Married People

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, columns 41-43, what estimate he has made of the number of partners who will be unable to remain in the UK when the new minimum income threshold of £38,700 comes into effect.

Tom Pursglove: Those who already have a family visa within the five-year partner route, or who apply before the minimum income threshold is raised, will continue to have their applications assessed against the current income requirement and will not be required to meet the increased threshold. This will also be the case for children seeking to join or accompany parents.

Visas: Care Workers and Health Professions

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who were issued a Health and Care Worker visa since 2020 remain employed in the health and social care sector.

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have (a) arrived in and (b) subsequently left the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa since 2020.

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have (a) arrived in the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa and (b) subsequently applied for a different type of visa since 2020.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office does not record or hold any data on these matters.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to open the second stage of Pathway Three of the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme.

Tom Pursglove: The resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority for this government. As of September 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people affected by the events in Afghanistan have been brought to safety. This includes the first individuals to be relocated under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).In the second stage of Pathway 3, our commitment to work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans still stands. We are not able to open for referrals at this present time for the second stage of Pathway 3 but further information will be published in due course.

Asylum: Housing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many properties have been provided to asylum seekers receiving Section 95 support in (a) Ellesmere Port, (b) the North West and (c) England; and what proportion of these were provided in the last six months.

Tom Pursglove: The number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority, although not broken down into hotels or other accommodation, can be found in the attached link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support. For the safety, security and wellbeing of those we house within the hotels, we do not disclose the individual locations.

Treasury

Funerals: Financial Services

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with the Financial Conduct Authority to help ensure funeral fund providers have sufficient resources to meet their obligations.

Bim Afolami: In January 2021 the government legislated to bring all pre-paid funeral plan providers and intermediaries within the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory remit. The FCA has extensive experience of both conduct and prudential regulation. As part of its regulation of the sector, the FCA have introduced requirements that ensure that funeral plan providers have sufficient funds to fulfil the funeral plan contracts they have entered into. This includes rules that require funeral plan providers to: place sufficient funds to provide any agreed upon funeral in a trust or insurance arrangements; have systems and controls in place to ensure the adequacy of those trust and insurance arrangements and to ensure that pricing does not lead to insufficient sums being available to provide the agreed upon funeral; and consider the risk of inflation and volatility of trust assets when assessing the sums needed to provide for the funeral.

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing (a) social media and (b) telecoms firms into the scope of the mandatory advanced push payment reimbursement regime.

Bim Afolami: The government takes the issue of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. That is why the government legislated in the Financial Services & Markets Act 2023 to enable the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to require banks and other payment service providers to reimburse APP fraud victims. The Online Safety Act introduces duties on platforms and services for having processes to remove illegal content, such as fraud. Companies found in breach will face a penalty of up to £18 million or ten per cent of their annual global turnover. The government has also recently agreed an online fraud charter with the world’s biggest tech companies, who have pledged to take additional action to block and remove fraudulent content from their sites.

VAT: Electronic Government

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people affected by the IT issue which led to valid VAT registration numbers not being visible on the VAT Checker service.

Nigel Huddleston: This issue was specific to a small number of new VAT registrations not displaying on the GOV.UK service. HMRC implemented a fix on 17 May 2023 to prevent any further problems with new VAT registrations.

Individual Savings Accounts

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Lifetime ISA cap in line with increases in house prices since April 2017.

Bim Afolami: The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save, and to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. If you are referring to the Lifetime ISA property price cap, the Government currently remains of the view that the Lifetime ISA property price cap is set at an appropriate level to support most first-time buyers across the UK while targeting households that may find it most difficult to get onto the property ladder. Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers is below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK. The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review and considers all representations made carefully, with any changes made as part of the Budget process.

Arts: Tax Allowances

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of tax relief on the growth of the creative industries.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC has commissioned 2 independent evaluations of creative industry tax reliefs. The findings can be found on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industry-tax-reliefs-evaluation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/video-game-tax-relief-evaluation

Autumn Statement

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Autumn Statement 2023, published in November 2023, if he will publish a distributional analysis by region of the Autumn Statement 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: The analysis contained in the Impact on households document is intended to set out the estimated impact of tax, welfare and public service spending decisions on households across the income distribution. This analysis is consistent with the Government’s official forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility which is done on a UK-wide basis.The relevant document can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6565cb0c888c060013fa7dff/FINAL_Impact_on_households_-_AS23_-_271123.pdf

National Insurance Contributions: Tax Allowances

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting individuals from national insurance contributions if they choose not to access (a) social security services and (b) the NHS.

Nigel Huddleston: The National Insurance scheme operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, where today’s contributions pay for today’s benefits. The underpinning principle is not of an individual paying for their own benefits, but rather a system where those in work, employers and voluntary payers pool their resources to meet the claims of all of those who are eligible. Within the scheme, a person’s financial contributions reflect their ability to pay, rather than any likelihood of future entitlement. The proposal to exempt individuals from paying National Insurance contributions would run counter to this principle.

Welfare Tax Credits: Universal Credit

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit recipients have undergone managed migration to universal credit.

Nigel Huddleston: The details requested have been published and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/move-to-universal-credit-statistics-july-2022-to-august-2023Information to the end of December 2023 is due to be released in March 2024, with a precise date to be given in an announcement not less 28 days before the publication.

North Sea Oil: Tax Allowances

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 202954 on North Sea Oil: Tax Allowances, what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the development of the Rosebank oil field on the Exchequer; and whether he has made an estimate of its financial impact on public purse.

Gareth Davies: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Statement 2023 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook November 2023. The forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality.

Corporation Tax: International Cooperation

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 3785 on Corporation Tax: International Cooperation, when he next plans to (a) review and (b) make an assessment of the potential impact on (i) UK-based businesses and (ii) foreign direct investment of implementation of the OECD Pillar 2 minimum corporation tax measures.

Gareth Davies: Tax Information and Impact notes will be published alongside any future legislation on Pillar 2 in a Finance Bill. As set out in my answer on 5 December, a Tax Information and Impact note was published in March 2023 which set out the impact on UK businesses of the current legislation.

Treasury: Public Relations

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on press and public relations in each financial year since 2019-20.

Gareth Davies: HM Treasury's annual report offers a comprehensive account of the Treasury Group's use of resources and provides information about the Treasury's core activities. The budget for the Communications Team, including press activities, is incorporated within this reporthttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-report

Football: Women

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett Formula consequential funding for Wales will be of the announcement of 29t November 2023 of £30 million for women and girls football in England; and when the Welsh government will receive that funding.

Laura Trott: The Barnett formula is applied when departmental budgets change – not when departments announce how they are spending their budgets. When the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s budget changes in relation to this funding, the Barnett formula will apply in the usual way as set out in the published Statement of Funding Policy document.

High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the fairness of the high income child benefit charge.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to managing the public finances responsibly. The High-Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) ensures that the Government supports the majority of families while keeping welfare expenditure sustainable.The charge is calculated on an individual rather than household basis in line with other tax policy. If the HICBC was based on household income, this could mean finding out the incomes and relationships of individuals in all the households currently registered for Child Benefit. This would put disproportionate burdens on most Child Benefit claimants, who are not affected by HICBC and currently do not need to provide this information to HM Revenue and Customs. The Government therefore considers that the current approach remains proportionate.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality industry; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing VAT for that industry.

Nigel Huddleston: At Autumn Statement 2023, the Government announced a package of business rates changes and tax cuts, including extending the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief scheme at 75 per cent, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-2025. This is tax cut worth almost £2.4 billion for around 230,000 properties. VAT is the UK's third largest tax forecast to raise £173 billion in 2023/24, helping to fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS, education and defence. The previous VAT relief for tourism and hospitality cost over £8 billion and reintroducing it would come at a significant further cost. While there are no plans to reduce the rate of VAT paid by hospitality businesses, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Sanctions: Exemptions and Licensing

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes his Department has in place for Ministerial oversight of (a) licenses and (b) other exemptions to the sanctions regime.

Bim Afolami: There is a delegated framework which sets out how decisions are taken. Copies of this framework have been deposited in the Libraries of the Houses.https://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2023-0313/OFSI_Delegation_Framework-March_2023_Update.pdf

Inflation

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Oral Statement of 22 November 2023 on the Autumn Statement, column 325, what assessment his Department has made of how much each of the steps he is taking has contributed to the reduction in inflation.

Bim Afolami: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts for the UK economy, including making assessments of the impacts that Government policies have on inflation.The full EFO can be seen here: Economic and fiscal outlook – November 2023 - Office for Budget Responsibility (obr.uk)

Attorney General

Aiding and Abetting

Kim Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Crown Prosecution Service report of 29 September 2023, Crown Prosecution Service Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023: Data Analysis, whether joint enterprise applies where persons unintentionally assist or encourage another to commit a crime.

Robert Courts: Joint enterprise is a common law doctrine, meaning that it has developed over time through case law rather than being set out in statute.The doctrine may apply where two or more persons are involved in committing a criminal offence.Where joint enterprise applies, the secondary party or accessory will be liable for the offence if they encourage or assist the commission of the offence by the principal party, and they intend to encourage or assist the commission of the offence.The secondary party will not therefore be liable if they do not intend to encourage or assist the commission of the offence.The outcomes of the Joint Enterprise pilot were published on 29 September 2023 and will inform the Crown Prosecution Service's national monitoring scheme of joint enterprise cases.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, what (a) indicators and (b) warnings have been established to enable the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to remain agile in respect of the allocation of resource over winter 2023-24.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, what the conclusions were from the Rehearsal of Concept drill to test winter preparedness.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28 and the Rehearsal of Concept drill to test winter preparedness, whether (a) DIO, (b) Pinnacle, (c) Amey and (d) VIVO reported that they could not respond appropriately to (i) a surge in repair requests and (ii) callouts due to the impact of weather.

James Cartlidge: As part of Winter Planning, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and its contractors established the following indicators and warnings to ensure agility in respect of resource allocations during winter: Regular reporting of heating and hot water outages;Regular reporting of damp and mould reports and remedial works;Monitoring call centre volumes, types of call, availability of Urgent and Routine appointments, chaser call volumes and complaints;Monitoring social media; andA severe weather watch protocol (initially using Met Office Severe Weather Warnings, but also investigating a system used by the insurance industry to predict how forecast weather might impact on types of building insurance claims etc).  The Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) drill was to stress test the DIO’s and contractors’ winter plans to improve capability and respond to emergent weather events. Contingency plans were established for a tiered BRONZE/SILVER/GOLD command structure to be activated in the event that severe/extreme weather events are forecast or emerge. These included;Preparation of communications to families/chain of command, plus upward reporting;Activation of surge plans;Activation of support from local military units;Planning for recovery after the event. The DIO and its contractors all responded appropriately to the ROC drill, which gave a high degree of assurance that robust plans were in place. The ROC drill was followed around two weeks later by the onset of Storm Ciaran which tested these contingency plans in real time. Where appropriate, planned appointments (eg for roof works that could not be safely conducted in high winds) were re-scheduled with families in advance of the storm and the immediate response to flooding and serious storm damage was prompt and effective. National Service Centre call waiting times remained well within acceptable levels throughout. This pattern has been repeated throughout all of the named storms that have followed.

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how many homes his Department plans to purchase for service families in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

James Cartlidge: The Department is purchasing 176 homes for Service personnel and their families based at Imjin Barracks, Gloucestershire over the next three years.There is currently no funding committed for the purchase of further additional Service Family Accommodation within the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Accommodation budget. However, further opportunities have been identified should funding be available once future years' budgets are confirmed.

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how much funding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated to carry out extensive, high quality refurbishments of long-term empty service family accommodation as of 8 January 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, what his planned timetable is for completing the refurbishments of long-term empty service family accommodation.

James Cartlidge: The Department allocated £400 million additional funding over this financial year (FY) and next for Service Family Accommodation (SFA); £220 million for FY2023-24 and £180 million for FY 2024-25. The £220 million for this financial year was received at the end of July 2023 and since then the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has been working at pace to instruct works to improve SFA. This financial year, £58 million has been allocated to fund a nationwide programme of high-quality refurbishment works to bring circa 1000 homes back online, that are currently unavailable for allocation due to their condition and in areas where need is greatest for Service families. The majority of this work has been instructed and the refurbishment programme is well underway. It is planned that most of the works will be complete by the end of this financial year.

Armed Forces: Housing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how much funding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated to the damp and mould mitigation package for 4000 families as of 8 January 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of removing damp and mould from his Department's properties requiring such work.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 November 2023 on Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning, HCWS28, how much funding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has allocated for further and more substantial damp and mould prevention works as of 8 January 2024.

James Cartlidge: As part of the £400 million additional funding announced in the July 2023 Defence Command Paper Refresh over this financial year and next, the Department has made tackling damp and mould in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) a key priority. Service families will not be placed in homes suffering from damp and mould and we have developed processes to assess and tackle new cases as they arise. We are spending £29 million over the next 12 months on a programme of mitigation works to address damp and mould in over 4,000 SFA, including first responder visits and installation of improved ventilation. Additionally, £94 million is being dedicated to more substantial works, including replacement doors and windows, upgraded heating systems including boilers, improvements to groundwater drainage and repairs to damp-proof courses, roof repairs and/or replacement and installation of external wall insulation to make SFA more energy efficient and to prevent damp and mould reoccurring. We are dealing with decades of under-investment in SFA and, as such, damp and mould will inevitably recur and require a constant and ongoing programme of activity. As such we cannot provide a definitive estimate of the costs; what is clear that long-term investment and the wholesale modernisation of the estate to bring energy efficiency and ventilation up to modern standards will be required.

Middle East: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces personnel were (a) stationed in and (b) deployed to the Middle East in (i) October 2023, (ii) November 2023, (iii) December 2023 and (iv) January 2024.

James Heappey: Approximate figures for UK service personnel stationed in; and deployed on operations in the Middle East as at the 1st of: October 2023, November 2023 and December 2023 are shown in the table below. On any given day these figures can vary significantly due to routine force rebalancing, rest and recuperation periods and relief in place. The figures for stationed personnel as of January 2024 are currently undergoing validation checks and are therefore not yet available.   StationedDeployedOctober 20233001,500November 20233002,800December 20233002,500January 2024*2,200

Armed Forces: Employment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel took on (a) second jobs and (b) other additional work in the last (i) six and (ii) twelve months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This information is not held. The Ministry of Defence does not collect or hold information on Armed Forces personnel who may have second jobs or undertake additional paid work.

Military Bases: Closures

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Defence Procurement during the debate on Service Accomodation on 19 December, Official Report, column 500WH, whether other military bases marked for closure have had their closure date changed.

James Cartlidge: Change is inevitable within a portfolio of this size and complexity, and any updates on the status of Military bases marked for closure will be provided in the usual manner within Written Ministerial Statements as the portfolio progresses.

Defence: Carbon Emissions

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased spending on military projects on the levels of carbon emissions associated with military activity.

James Cartlidge: Defence carbon emissions are primarily linked to operational tempo and not directly linked to levels of Defence spending. While emissions from different operating domains (e.g. estate, land, sea and air) can fluctuate from year-to-year, overall Defence emissions continue on a downward trajectory. Between Financial Year 2019-20 and Financial Year 2022-23 overall Defence emissions reduced from 3.65MtCO2e to 3.13MtCO2e. A more detailed breakdown of Defence energy use and the associated carbon emission can be found in the MOD Annual Report and Accounts Annex D.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the next shipment of aid for Gaza by the Royal Navy will take place.

James Heappey: On 31 December 2023, RFA Lyme Bay delivered 87 tonnes of aid into Egypt. The FCDO is coordinating the UK humanitarian response to ensure lifesaving assistance can reach the people who need it. The Royal Navy have not yet been asked for further support, but we remain ready to support as required.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the next RAF aid flight for Gaza will take place.

James Heappey: The FCDO is coordinating the UK humanitarian response to ensure lifesaving assistance can reach the people who need it. The RAF have not yet been asked for further support, but remain ready to support as required.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much aid for Gaza has been delivered by the Armed Forces.

James Heappey: There have been four RAF flights to date in support of the FCDO-led humanitarian aid effort. The FCDO is coordinating the UK humanitarian response to ensure lifesaving assistance can reach the people who need it.

Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has a target for his Department producing net zero carbon emissions.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to contributing to the achievement of the UK legal commitment to reach net zero target by 2050 by reducing carbon emissions and accelerating sustainability activity, while preserving military capability. Our ambition, as well as the range of initial actions the MOD is taking in support of the UK meeting the Net Zero target, is set out in our Strategic Approach to Climate Change and Sustainability published in March 2021.

Frigates: Decommissioning

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of the frigates in the Royal Navy by retirement date.

James Cartlidge: On current plans, the last Type 23 frigate will transition out of service in 2035. To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose individual out of service dates or specific in-service dates for warships to avoid revealing elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Museums and Galleries: Non-fungible Tokens

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the incorporation of Non-Fungible Tokens into cultural objects held by (a) the British Museum and (b) other museums to (i) confirm their authenticity and (ii) help prevent their theft.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not made a specific assessment of the merits of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in this context. The British Museum has noted that, due to the cost and resource requirements involved, and as they do not significantly mitigate risk, the Museum currently has no plans to adopt the use of NFTs in this way.

Equal Pay: Incentives

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's gender pay gap report 2023, published on 30 November 2023, what proportion of (a) female and (b) male staff in the scope of the report's calculations received non-consolidated bonuses in the period covered by the report.

Julia Lopez: In the period covered by our 2023 Gender Pay Gap report, the percentage of men and women receiving a non consolidated bonus is 86.5% and 85.1% respectively.

Arts: Copyright

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent the unauthorised use of creative content by AI.

Julia Lopez: The UK has world-leading protections for copyright and intellectual property, and we are committed to maintaining them. We want rights holders to be assured that AI firms will use their content appropriately and lawfully. The Intellectual Property Office has been working with rights holders and AI firms to clarify the relationship between AI and copyrighted works. An update on this work will be published in due course.

Video Games

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of challenges within the video games industry.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to the success of the UK games sector and we work closely with industry to support its future growth.This includes the £13.4 million UK Games Fund supporting new IP and talent and generous video games tax reliefs.However, we are also focused on building a talent pipeline through the Creative Careers Programme, T-Levels and bootcamps, and local skills improvement plans. Additionally, we have worked closely with industry to deliver guidance on loot boxes, and developed a video games research framework to inform future policy making.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla: Anniversaries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans for a national celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the wedding of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Stuart Andrew: There are no government plans for a national celebration to mark the twentieth anniversary of the wedding of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Football

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the European Court of Justice ruling on the European Super League.

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the European Court of Justice ruling on the European Super League on the future of English domestic football.

Stuart Andrew: The attempt to create a breakaway European Super League was a defining moment in English football and was universally condemned by fans, clubs, and the Government.We took decisive action at the time by triggering the fan-led review of football governance, which called for the creation of a new independent regulator for English football.We will shortly be bringing forward legislation that makes this a reality, establishing an independent regulator that can stop clubs from joining any similar breakaway competitions in the future.

Gambling: Taxation

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's consultation on the statutory levy on gambling operators, published on 17 October 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of setting a statutory levy rate of one percent for remote pools betting.

Stuart Andrew: Higher rates of problem gambling are associated with certain products, particularly those online, compared to most land-based products. We want to take this into account in the design of the statutory levy, as well as the higher operating costs in the land-based sector. Public Health England’s evidence review of gambling-related harms, based on Health Survey data, showed football pools to have a 'problem gambling' rate of 5%, which is higher than the population level which has been at or below 1% for the past 20 years.The consultation on the design of the statutory levy opened on 17 October and has now closed. Our consultation specifically invited views on the question of levy rates so that the Government has the best available evidence to inform our final policy decisions on a structure of the levy. The Government is carefully considering the evidence received, and we will publish our response to the consultation in due course.

Football

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support local football clubs.

Stuart Andrew: By 2025, we will have invested over £320 million into grassroots football and multi-sport facilities across the UK. Furthermore, as announced in the King’s Speech, the Government will bring forward legislation to establish a new Independent Football Regulator, to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of fans and local communities.

Youth Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of local authority spending on youth services.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the importance of local youth services. That’s why in England, between 2015 - 2021, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provided over £1.1 billion to the youth sector. Furthermore, over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.Additionally, local authorities have a statutory duty to provide funding for youth services in line with local needs, and the Government worked closely with local authorities to set out updated statutory guidance to support these efforts.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will visit Solihull constituency in 2024.

Rishi Sunak: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 September 2023, Official Report, PQ 196036.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Planning: Skilled Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps is he taking to ensure that local authority planning departments have an adequate skilled workforce.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to the written Statement made on 19 December 2023 (HCWS161).

Social Rented Housing: Foreign Nationals

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what number and proportion of general needs housing lettings were to non-UK nationals in each year since 1994.

Lee Rowley: The information requested can be derived from the published table 3e on the Tenants data tables as part of the 2021/22 statistics release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2021-to-march-2022. We do not hold data before 2007/08.

Housing

Dame Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department takes to ensure that calculated local housing need reflects the housing need of the local population.

Lee Rowley: In 2018, we introduced a standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method uses a formula to identify the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for, in a way which addresses projected household growth, affordability and historic under-supply.

Cladding Safety Scheme: Putney

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many buildings have registered with the Cladding Safety Scheme in Putney.

Lee Rowley: We currently have no buildings registered with the Cladding Safety Scheme in the Putney constituency.

Rents: Appeals

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities whether it is his policy that rent review tribunals will have access to (a) relevant and (b) sector specific data when making judgements on market rent.

Jacob Young: In order to determine the market rate, the First-tier Tribunal considers a wide range of evidence, such as the price of similar properties being advertised online or data showing the trends of rental prices in an area. Both parties are able to submit evidence justifying or arguing against the rent increase.

Parking Offences: Enforcement

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to tackle rogue parking enforcement companies.

Jacob Young: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 4246 on 4 December 2023.

Private Rented Housing: Standards

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish a response to his Department's consultation A Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector.

Jacob Young: Announcements will be set out in the usual way.I look forward to meeting with the Hon Member imminently and working to deliver a Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector for the first time.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Question

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to support the growth of the human-specific technology sector.

Andrew Griffith: We look forward to the moment when technology will allow the end of all animal testing. In the meantime, we are committed to supporting the growth of technologies that support human-specific research. The UK has a world leading reputation for the delivery of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (3Rs).

Prescription Drugs: Internet

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the sale of prescription-only drugs on illicit websites.

Saqib Bhatti: Where individuals sell illegal drugs on their own website, they may be committing an offence. This may then be a matter for law enforcement and/or regulatory bodies such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The Online Safety Act also puts duties on user-to-user and search service providers to tackle illegal third-party content accessed on or via their service. They must take proactive action against online offending such as illegal sale of drugs and must protect children from other legal content which could cause harm to them.

Leader of the House

Private Members' Bills

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, if she will take steps to increase the amount of parliamentary time given to debate Private Members' Bills in the 2023-24 parliamentary session.

Penny Mordaunt: The Standing Orders provide for thirteen sitting Fridays per session. The House can agree, on a Government motion, to sit on additional Fridays when required. This is usually appropriate when the length of a session has been extended.With the support of the Government, 24 Private Members’ Bills were passed in the last session, with only one additional Friday allocated. This is more than the 2021-22 session, which saw 13 Private Members’ Bills reach Royal Assent in thirteen sitting Fridays. This clearly demonstrates that sufficient support from across the House is more important in the successful passage of Private Members’ Bills than additional parliamentary time.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Children

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of households that are (a) affected by the two-child limit and (b) living in poverty.

Jo Churchill: The latest available statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children are published here: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) National statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty, including regional-level data, is published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. This can be found here. The most recent figures state that in the year 2021/22 there were 11.4 million people living in a household below the absolute poverty threshold after housing costs. This represents a decrease of 1.7 million people since 2009/10.

Poverty: Poplar and Limehouse

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) absolute, (b) relative, (c) fuel and (d) food poverty in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.

Jo Churchill: National statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty, including regional-level data, is published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. This can be found here. Statistics are not available at the constituency level.National statistics on food security and food bank use, including regional-level data, for 2021/22 are available here. Statistics are not available at the constituency level.The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England, can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 4 here.

Poverty: Poplar and Limehouse

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the number of children living in poverty in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.

Jo Churchill: The latest available data showing the number and proportion of children in absolute and relative poverty before housing costs by parliamentary constituency can be found in the children in low-income families local area statistics. Absolute poverty after housing costs is the government’s preferred measure as the poverty line is fixed in real terms so is not affected by overall median income. Households Below Average Income (HBAI) provides estimates of children in low-income families only at national and regional levels but can’t provide estimates by parliamentary constituency due to the sample size of the survey at that level. Children in Low Income Families (CiLIF) is constructed using administrative data and calibrated to the HBAI regional estimates for consistency at that level. This use of administrative data provides more granular local area information not available from HBAI alone. More background information on CiLIF and the methodology can be found here.

Households: Social Security Benefits and Tax Credits

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown by nationality of the (a) total and (b) average amount households received in (i) total cash benefits, (ii) tax credits, (iii) income related benefit and (iv) non-income related benefit in each year since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not currently available. Tax credits are administered by HMRC, therefore any request for data on the nationality of those claiming these benefits would need to be directed to HMRC.

Disability

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the change in the role of Minister for Disabled People from Minister of State to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on his Department's support for disabled people.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to this question in the House on the 18th December, Hansard reference: Vol 742, Col 1107 found here.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of violence-at-work incidents that have been reported at Govan job centre.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Work and Pensions record all reported violence-at-work incidents. In the current financial year, April – October 2023, Govan Jobcentre recorded 27 incidents. In 2022/2023 financial year there were 19 incidents and in 2021/2022 financial year there were 20 incidents. All incidents reported at Govan Jobcentre have been categorised as verbal or written with none being classed as physical incidents.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the most recent risk assessment on violence at work was conducted at Govan jobcentre.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Work and Pensions assess the risks around violence at work via the Jobcentre Claimant Facing Risk Assessment (JCFRA). Govan Jobcentre has a site-specific Jobcentre Claimant Facing Risk Assessment in place, and this was last reviewed 18th September 2023.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals against Personal Independence Payment decisions were lapsed by her Department in the latest period for which data is available.

Mims Davies: A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing. The table below provides information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeal registrations and lapsed appeals. Data is provided for appeals registered in the 2022/23 financial year, the latest full financial year that data is available. Table 1: Appeals registered in 2022/23 and how many were subsequently lapsedAppeals registeredAppeals lapsed81,00018,000 (22% of appeals registered) Notes:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.Data provided is for England and Wales (excluding Scotland).These figures include appeal registrations and decisions for PIP New Claims, Reassessments, Award Reviews and Change of Circumstances. These figures include appeals registered in 2022/23 financial year and any lapsed appeals related to these appeal registrations up to the 30th September 2023, the latest date for which published data is available.Appeals data has been taken from DWP PIP customer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.This data is unpublished data. It should be used with caution, and it may be subject to future revision.

Access to Work Programme

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact the introduction of the online system for the determination of Access to Work applications has had on waiting times.

Mims Davies: The Access to Work team have introduced an improved online application service within the last quarter of 2023. Within the improved application there are more detailed questions on conditions and needs. It is envisioned that processing times may decrease due to the reduction in queries made on applications. We are still gathering data on the improved digital service for evaluation.

Household Support Fund

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date he expects to receive the report of the joint process and impact evaluation of the Household Support Fund 4.

Jo Churchill: We expect the evaluation of the Household Support Fund 4 to be completed in Summer 2024.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to universal credit claimants living in (a) temporary and (b) supported accommodation that receive benefit sanctions.

Jo Churchill: Customers on work-related benefits are expected to take responsibility for meeting the requirements that they have agreed to with their Work Coach. These requirements will be clearly set out in the Claimant Commitment and tailored to the individual’s circumstances, making them realistic and achievable. The consequences and implications of not meeting a mandatory work-related requirement are clearly set out and explained to the customer. A sanction will only be applied if they fail to meet these requirements without demonstrating good reason. If a sanction is applied, the customer is issued with a decision notification letter. This letter outlines the sanction reason, the amount and duration of benefit reduction and, where applicable, what action the customer needs to take to bring an open-ended sanction to a conclusion. The letters also contain information on what to do if the customer disagrees with the sanction decision, how to apply for Recoverable Hardship Payments, as well as links to money management advice and other sources of financial support.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds data on the (a) outcome and (b) reasoning behind Tribunal verdicts relating to personal independence payment claims; and whether his Department takes steps to use Tribunal verdicts to improve its processes.

Mims Davies: His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service provide a Decision Notice in relation to each tribunal to DWP. This contains the outcome of the tribunal and some information on why the decision was reached. This information is recorded on the PIP computer system.This data only provides one reason per appeal as to why decisions by DWP decision makers have been overturned at a tribunal hearing, and therefore may not give the full story as there may be other reasons.We are continuing to learn from decisions overturned at appeal. For example, we gather insight from DWP Presenting Officers who regularly provide feedback from hearings they attend, with a view to learning from overturned decisions.

Social Security Benefits

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of households that will be subject to the benefit cap due to (a) increases in the local housing allowance and (b) the uprating of benefits in 2024-25.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of households that will be subject to the benefit cap due to proposed changes to the work capability assessment descriptors in 2025-26.

Jo Churchill: No estimate has been made. There are various factors that determine whether a household is brought into scope of the benefit cap.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Sanctioned disengaged claimants management information April 2019 to August 2023, published on 12 December 2023, how many and what proportion of claimants with a universal credit nil award who were disengaged for six months or more were receiving housing benefit as a result of living in (a) temporary accommodation and (b) supported accommodation in August 2023.

Jo Churchill: To provide this information would incur disproportionate costs due to linking the data.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Question 5041 on Pensions, with reference to the Pension Schemes Act 2015 (Transitional Provisions and Appropriate Independent Advice) 2015 Post Implementation Review, published on 4 April 2023, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the disproportionate response to low-risk pension transfers noted in the last paragraph of that Review.

Paul Maynard: Whilst conducting the statutory review of the requirement DWP determined the original intention, ensuring members are aware of the benefits they may be giving up by transferring their pension assets to schemes with flexible benefits still applies. DWP continues to engage with His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Pensions Regulator (TPR) to determine if there are alternative ways to deliver the protections that smooth the process.

Department for Transport

Blue Badge Scheme

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Blue Badges were issued in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021, (iii) 2022 and (iv) 2023.

Guy Opperman: The Blue Badge schemes in England, Scotland and Wales are devolved with each country running its own Blue Badge scheme and collecting/publishing its own statistics. The Department for Transport publishes annual statistics in relation to the Blue Badge scheme in England only. The total number of Blue Badges issued in England are: Year ending March 2020966,002Year ending March 2021824,239Year ending March 20221,036,054 Statistics for 2023 will be published in January 2024.

Roads: Cheshire

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department provided to Cheshire East Council for highways (a) maintenance and (b) improvements in the (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year.

Guy Opperman: Over the two years in question, the Department has provided a total of over £30 million to Cheshire East Council for highway maintenance, as set out in the table below. Over the same period the Department has also provided over £4 million to Cheshire East Council for small-scale transport improvements through the Integrated Transport Block. Further details are available on gov.uk.  Table showing funding provided to Cheshire East CouncilFunding Stream 2022/23 (£m)2023/24 (£m)Total (£m)Highways Maintenance Block7.2497.24914.498Potholes Fund5.7995.79911.598Increase for 2023/24 announced in Budget 2023 2.3192.319Increase for 2023/24 announced as part of Network North programme 1.6581.658Total Maintenance13.04817.02530.073Integrated Transport Block2.0032.0034.006Total15.05119.02834.079 The highway maintenance funding being provided in 2023/24 is a 30% increase on 2022/23.

Bicycles: Manufacturing Industries

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support businesses that manufacture (a) cycle and (b) e-cycles.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to supporting UK businesses that manufacture, retail and service cycles and e-cycles. This support takes many forms including unprecedented investment in safe cycling infrastructure which enables more people to cycle safely; and initiatives such as the Cycle to Work scheme which allows many people to access cycles more cheaply. These and other measures help increase the demand for new cycles and e-cycles, and for the servicing of existing cycles and e-cycles.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5413 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to insurance companies on this matter.

Guy Opperman: It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.

Local Transport Plans

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for publishing updated guidance for local transport authorities on local transport plans; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that local stakeholders reviewing their LTPs are made aware of any potential changes to guidance.

Guy Opperman: As a result of the unprecedented uplift in local transport funding announced as part of the Network North plan, the Department is reconsidering the case for guidance to local authorities on this matter. The Department aims to publish, in the spring of this year, advice to local authorities on the new local transport funds announced as part of the Network North plan. The Department will provide updates to local authorities in due course. In the meantime, local authorities should continue to update their local transport plans as they see fit, giving regard to published national transport policy and local priorities.

Large Goods Vehicles: Electrification

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help support the electrification of heavy goods vehicles.

Anthony Browne: The Department’s £200 million zero emission HGV demonstrator programme is supporting the introduction of up to 310 battery electric and 60 hydrogen fuel cell HGVs into UK fleets, as well as the deployment of supporting charging and refuelling infrastructure. The programme will provide real world evidence and performance data on which future investment decisions can be made.The Department continues to work with industry stakeholders to develop a zero emission HGV and coach infrastructure strategy for publication in early 2024. A call for evidence on this topic closed on 14 December 2023.

Sanctions: Russia

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many UK-flagged vessels have been prosecuted for the transportation of Russian oil in the last two years.

Guy Opperman: None.

Road Traffic: Noise

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the outcome of the noise-detecting traffic camera trials.

Guy Opperman: Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. As set out in the Government’s recent Plan for Drivers, the Department intends to publish the findings of the trial in due course and issue guidance to local authorities setting out minimum requirements and best practice for the use of noise cameras.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the British energy security strategy, published on 7 April 2022, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) fixed and (b) floating offshore wind turbines that would need to be installed in the UK's exclusive economic zone in each financial year from 2024-25 to 2027-28 inclusive to meet the Government's ambition of generating up to 50 gigawatts of power from offshore wind by 2030.

Andrew Bowie: The UK currently has 14.7GW of operational offshore wind capacity and 7.7GW under construction. The number of turbines that will need to be installed annually to meet the ambition of up to 50GW by 2030 including up to 5GW of floating wind will depend upon the power of the turbines that projects deploy.

Carbon Emissions and Hydrogen: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her planned timetable is for announcing the successful applications for the Hydrogen Allocation Round Two.

Andrew Bowie: Following the success of Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 (HAR1) we have now launched Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2) and the application window will close on 19 April 2024. We will aim to announce a shortlist of projects who will be invited to the agreeing of an offer stage in Autumn 2024, and aim to award contracts of up to 875MW from early 2025, subject to affordability and value for money. This is to help deliver our ambition of up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen production projects being in operation or in construction by 2025.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to ensure that alternative fuel payments are received by all eligible consumers not connected to the electricity grid.

Amanda Solloway: The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) delivered £200 to around 2 million households last winter to support them with their alternative fuel costs, with 85% receiving this automatically. A small proportion of households who did not have a relationship to a domestic electricity supplier needed to apply for their support through the AFP Alternative Fund, which launched on 6 March 2023 and closed on 31 May 2023. I recommend that any household who was not able to access this support, visit the ‘Help for Households’ on webpage on GOV.UK to see what other support they may be able to receive - https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of the Alternative Fuels Payment, in the context of trends in the level of costs for alternative fuels.

Amanda Solloway: The Alternative Fuels Payment (AFP) delivered £200 to around 2 million households last winter to support them with their energy costs. Since last winter, energy costs have fallen including the wholesale price of alternative fuels, and there are no plans to re-open the AFP. However, the Government is committed to supporting those most in need, with millions of vulnerable households receiving up to £900 in further cost-of-living payments this winter, with £300 to pensioner households and £150 to those on eligible disability benefits.

Great British Insulation Scheme

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of energy companies to respond to applications through the Great British Insulation Scheme and (b) target times for such applications to be processed.

Amanda Solloway: As part of the service levels agreed with the Department, obligated energy suppliers are expected to respond to households referred for the Great British Insulation Scheme via the Government website within 10 working days.

District Heating: Price Caps

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of how many people living in residential properties are not eligible for the energy price cap because they receive their energy from a communal source.

Amanda Solloway: As of December 2022 there were 477,733 residential households served by registered communal and district heat networks and that data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/heat-networks-registered-under-the-heat-network-metering-and-billing-regulations-statistics-december-2022. These households are not covered by the Ofgem price cap, but the Energy Bills Discount Scheme was introduced for the period between April 2023 and March 2024 to ensure heat network customers do not face disproportionately higher bills in comparison to non-heat network consumers. All registered heat networks are required by law to apply for the scheme and pass the benefits they receive on to their customers.

Fuels: Retail Trade

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on a consultation on (a) introducing a statutory fuel finder scheme and (b) establishing a statutory monitoring body for fuel retailers.

Amanda Solloway: The Government announced on 15 November that the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) would undertake the ongoing road fuels price monitoring function. The Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers (DMCC) Bill was amended at Commons Report stage to give the CMA information-gathering powers for the monitoring function. We are due to launch our consultation on the design of the statutory open data scheme and aspects of the monitoring function not outlined in the DMCC Bill shortly.

Renewable Energy: Community Development

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on launching the consultation on barriers to developing community energy projects.

Graham Stuart: The Government is working with the Community Energy Contact Group on the content of the consultation. The Government hopes to publish the consultation as soon as possible, though until these discussions have concluded I am unable to provide a definitive timeline.

Energy: Meters

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with radio teleswitch service providers on the continuation of that service after March 2024.

Amanda Solloway: Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) is an industry-run service. Discussions are ongoing between industry parties and RTS providers to secure its operation into 2025, beyond the end of the current contractual period ending March 2024. The Government expects energy suppliers to upgrade households with RTS to smart meters in good time in advance of the switch off. Households should contact their energy supplier to arrange their upgrades as soon as possible so they can continue to benefit from multi rate tariffs.

Great British Insulation Scheme

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of how many households have (a) applied to and (b) had insulation installed through the Great British Insulation Scheme.

Amanda Solloway: Through the GOV.UK self-referral service, there have been over 76,000 referrals for the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) up to 7 January 2024. The Department does not hold data on how many customers have applied for the scheme through other routes. Information on the number of insulation measures installed through GBIS can be found in the latest GBIS Statistical Release.

Energy: Small Businesses

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2023 to Question 6350 on Energy: Payment Methods, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying the Energy Price Guarantee to small businesses.

Amanda Solloway: The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) provides all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a baseline discount on high energy bills for 12 months from April 2023 until 31 March 2024. The EBDS is helping businesses locked into contracts signed before substantial falls in wholesale prices manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again. A higher level of support is provided to some Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETIIs) that are particularly exposed to energy cost increases due to their energy and trade intensity.

Northern Ireland Office

Banking Hubs: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make representations to financial institutions in Northern Ireland to press for the establishment of more banking hubs.

Mr Steve Baker: I recognise that banking hubs, which are operated by the Post Office in partnership with the major high street providers, improve access for people from communities across the United Kingdom to in-person assistance from their bank. Northern Ireland already has a banking hub in Kilkeel. Four additional hubs are due to open in Comber, Newcastle, Portrush, and Warrenpoint, following successful community requests from the Consumer Council Northern Ireland to LINK, the UK's cash access and ATM network. Following the closure of a bank branch, LINK will identify whether a community requires further cash services and any community without a branch can contact LINK directly and ask to be assessed for support. It is right that individuals from local communities in Northern Ireland, who best understand the specific needs of their own community, are the people who contact LINK for an assessment.